Adenoviruses are responsible for the common colds that afflict tens of millions of people every year. Consequently, resistance to human adenoviruses is fairly widespread.

Using adenoviruses derived from chimpanzees, however, allows the vaccines persist longer in the human body before they are detected by the immune system. The vaccines are designed to target certain T-cells, stimulating the body’s defenses against infection.

The vaccine technology has been tested in clinical trials against malaria and hepatitis C.

A GSK executive noted that the acquisition of Okairos gave the company a platform with which to build a “new generation of vaccines.”